


All God's People

by artschoolfreddie



Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: Based on a song, Early Queen (Band), Freddie Mercury - Freeform, Gen, John Deacon - Freeform, One Shot, Queen (Band) Lyrics, Roger Taylor - Freeform, Sad Brian May, brian in college, brian wants to tell his dad about queen, but doesn't want to disappoint him, but he needs a clean conscience, college days, freddie in india, john in college, kind of sad, nervous brian may, roger at home, they're all just babies, they're figuring things out, very early queen, young queen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-16
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:54:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22282207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artschoolfreddie/pseuds/artschoolfreddie
Summary: The boys face some challenges in life.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 23





	1. Gotta face up...

**Author's Note:**

> hello! this is the first part of a mini series i'm working on, as well as the first one shot/fic i've ever written!! i'm excited about this, and i hope you end up liking it. the titles are all based on the song All God's People (that little part where it goes back and forth between the left and right ear yknow the one), which is one of my favorites. i should also say that this is all from my imagination, not necessarily based on true events, nor in the correct time period when things happened. i might do something like that later though, but for now here it is!!! hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brian needs to tell his dad about his band, but he doesn't want to disappoint him. It should turn out alright though, right?

“Dad, I’ve got something to tell you.”

It took a while – about a year – for Brian to muster up the courage to tell his dad. He had talked himself out of it so many times, but today he finally had enough of his own excuses. After all, what’s the worst that can happen? His dad helped him build his guitar from scratch, there’s no way he could be mad at Brian for using it, so it wouldn’t have been a waste of time and energy. His dad played all his favorite records around the house all the time, he didn’t hate music. But going to university, on the other hand, if this whole _Queen_ thing didn’t work out, university might be considered a waster of time. But it really wasn’t, he had learned so much about something that he loved, science – more specifically, astrophysics. Because if the Queen thing _didn’t_ work out, he had a back up plan.

This was the hard thing about telling his dad, Brian thought. University was never supposed to be the backup plan. That was the main plan, the only plan. It was going to get him a good, well paying job to have a nice family and house, to live the life his parents couldn’t. Which was true, to an extent. Astrophysics was a field that was quickly becoming more popular and becoming a more relevant science, especially since the moon landing and technology was becoming more advanced. Being able to see into space was important for the future, and Brian loved it, he really did. However, he also loved music. He loved playing guitar and the feeling he got from it. Sure, it always had been a sort of pipe dream, but now it could become a reality. Smile was good, of course, they even had a record deal, but something was missing. That something he found in Queen. Maybe he could try explaining this to his dad. He’d understand, right?

Maybe not. Maybe all of this was a very bad idea. He needed to think of an escape lie. Maybe he didn’t even hear him. He was busy with another of his woodworking projects, after all. Maybe he could get away with just leaving, he didn’t want to disturb him in his work. Tell him he got a good grade on a very important test, or that he had a great opportunity at some-

 _No_. He had to tell him. He couldn’t dig himself into a deeper hole. He needed to face up and get through this. He couldn’t live a lie forever; he could barely handle the little lies he was telling him now. He had to tell him eventually, so might as well do it now. Besides, it wasn’t even a big deal.


	2. ... better grow up...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John thinks too much and he just wants to make some new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> second installment of this mini series!!

John knew it was going to be hard, different. Not too far from home, but far enough to be by himself. And not just by himself, but alone. However, now wasn’t the time to dwell on that. He couldn’t get lost in his thoughts and miss his stop again. It always happens, though. He lets his mind wander, into the sky, through the clouds, past the stars…

The screeching brakes startled him back to reality, thankfully just in time for his stop. The busy streets took some time getting used to, just another thing to add to the ever-growing list of “university life”. The crowded streets and halls weren’t really the hard part for John, though. In fact, he kind of liked them. He blended in well, just another person, everyone, including him – which again, he really needed to stop, it was almost becoming a problem – was in their own head, thinking of their day ahead, pop quizzes, assignments due. But for John, it wasn’t academics that was occupying his mind, it was his classmates.

So easy going, carefree, extroverted, funny. He just wanted to be friends, but his mind didn’t allow it. He knew he was decently funny and witty, a generally good person to be around with, as long as he knew and was comfortable around the people he was with. With strangers however, he was like a different person. He’s been like this his whole life, and at times it came in handy. Not having to talk to people he didn’t take to, and not being forced into awkward conversations. But now wasn’t the time. He didn’t like being this way and wished he would just grow up and learn how to socialize, just like his parents said. Pressuring him didn’t really help, though, it just made him more nervous and caused him to overthink about every possible outcome of everything he could say to them. This, specifically, was on his mind this morning on the train and while walking to class, trying to muster up the courage say something – _anything_ – to them.

“ _It’s time to grow up, John. How are you going to get by without any friends? What will others think?”_

It was time to socialize, for his sanity. Besides, what’s so hard about making friends? Especially with his classmates. They already had something in common, and they were friendly in general. There was no reason to be nervous about this, they were just his classmates. Worst case scenario… nevermind, he couldn’t think about that. Only positives. He was funny and nice and polite, what’s not to like. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it, let me know what you think. also, thank you guys for the kudos!!! <3


	3. Gotta stand tall...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freddie won't let his bullies get to his head and ruin his life, he'll show them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! i have finally updated this series, and this time its freddie's chapter! this took me a while to write because of writer's block but it eventually wrote itself, so here it is!!!!!
> 
> some warnings: homophobic slurs/language, bullying, some violence

Recess was always a time where Freddie could relax. He usually sat where it was shaded, away from the blistering afternoon sun, and away from everyone else. Although he had a few friends, he didn’t make it a habit to talk to them too much. After all, people were replaceable, he had learned that the hard way. Instead, he liked to close his eyes and take in the sound of the other kids playing and laughing, enjoying themselves whenever they could. Sometimes, Freddie liked to bring a paper and pencil and draw whatever came to mind, his family, the cats of his dreams, his dreams of being an artist, a musician, a star… all of his dreams.

Although he liked to hear kids laughing, kids snickering was different. Kids snickering usually meant that someone was laughing at him. Kids snickering is what brought him back to reality. He opened his eyes at sat up, immediately seeing a group of kids – not just any group of kids, the same group of kids that always picked on him. Freddie rolled his eyes and laid back down. He tried not to let it get to him, which was hard at first, but at this point he was just tired of it. Always the same, couldn’t even bother to make up new names to call him.

_Freak. Weirdo. Bucky. Fag. Queer. Every insult they could think of. It didn’t help that he was already nervous, about to perform for the school. He knew he was pretty good at piano, he had taken many lessons, he knew it was just to embarrass him and make him feel small. Like what he was doing wasn’t amazing for an 11 year old boy in India to be doing. He tuned out the voices, got on stage, and played the piano with all his heart and soul, ignoring everything and everyone around him, until it was just him and the monochrome keys in front of him._

He heard them walking closer but continued to ignore them. They hated that the most, so Freddie used his skills to his advantage. That was until one of them kicked dirt on his face. Sitting up and glaring at them, Freddie rolled his eyes again. This time, he stood up and was about to walk away when one of the kids – he didn’t even know their names, to be honest, he didn’t care – grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around. They were about the same height, so Freddie could take him easily (the boxing classes helped). The only problem were his friends, they outnumbered Freddie and he only knew how to fight one person at a time.

“Where are you going, bucky?” Almost instinctively, he pulled his lips over his teeth and clenched his jaw, hoping no one noticed. They always went for his teeth first, an easy target, and although he didn’t care what they said, he was still self-conscious.

“Leave me alone. I don’t have time to waste with stupid people like you.” Determination and a bored look in his eyes, he turned away again and started to walk away. He thought he had been successfully left alone, until he could hear footsteps running towards him. Instinctively, Freddie also started running as fast as he could to somewhere safe, maybe his room, or a public place like the dining hall – or wait what about the –

His thoughts were cut short when he felt the hard push against his back and the harder ground on his face. He must have gotten distracted, he could usually run fast enough, but not this time. This time they got to him and they were mad. Most of the time, what they said were just empty threats, but Freddie guessed they had enough. Their kicking lasted for what seemed like forever, but it eventually stopped hurting, thankfully. Then they stopped, tired out from running and kicking.

Freddie realized he was still on the ground, unsure of how long he had been lying there. He felt the tears run down his cheeks and quickly wiped them away. Though the bullies left, there could still be people watching, and he couldn’t be seen crying. He got up, composed himself, and started making his way to his room to stay for the remainder of time he was free. Sure, he was hurt, both physically and emotionally, but again, he couldn’t let this get to him. There was always going to be someone who would knock him down and beat on him, and just because it happened now couldn’t deter him from living his life the way he wanted. It couldn’t stop him from being better than them, in every way possible. If anything, this beating and bullying just gave him more motivation to follow his dream of becoming a star… a legend. One day they would look at him on stage, in the newspapers, on the radio, on the television, everywhere, and they would regret how badly they had treated him. He would be thriving, traveling the world, while they were suffering at a boring job in the same town they grew up in. 

He’ll tower over them in every way. Yeah, he’ll show them. He’ll show everyone just how amazing he could be.


	4. ... and be strong.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roger comforts his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! this is the last installment of this series!!! i hope you guys have enjoyed reading as much as i've enjoyed writing it. thank you for all of your kudos, i really appreciate it! i will continue to write, so this won't be the last you'll see me! enjoy and let me know what you think. <3

The yelling continued. It had been about an hour since they started, and another since they just started arguing. It didn’t happen too often, but when it did, it got out of control. They would tell him and his sister to go to their rooms. Roger liked to think he was just overreacting, overthinking about the situation, but deep down he knew. He knew what was really happening downstairs. The yelling, things falling, being knocked down, the eventual slam of the door, then the deafening silence that immediately followed. Sometimes, he heard faint, stifled sobs, either from his mom or his sister, he could never really tell. He didn’t like to think about it too much, but it always crept back up into the forefront of his mind. Sometimes, he couldn’t take it and started crying too. It was usually when everyone was asleep, hours after the argument, or whenever his dad eventually came back drunk out of his mind. His dad would pass out almost immediately, and once he could hear his snores, Roger started crying, trying hard to be as quiet as possible.

That wasn’t the case tonight, though. Although it wasn’t the worst argument, it was different. He wasn’t sure how, but he knew it was. He quietly snuck into his sister’s room, checking to see if she was awake. Of course, she was, and there were tears in her eyes, visible in the dim moonlight. Roger quietly closed the door and made his way to his sister and sat next to her on her bed. He put his arm around her and she immediately sunk into him, desperately seeking comfort. He hugged her tightly as he whispered to her.

“It’s okay, Clare. We’ll be okay.” She sniffed and sobbed lightly, trying to believe her big brother’s words.

“How do you know that, Rog? It’s been like this for forever.”

“I know, but things will change soon enough.” At this point, Roger wasn’t just trying to convince her. That’s what they always say, that they’ll change, but they don’t. Roger was being way too hopeful, but it was the only way that he could continue. He had to believe it at least a little bit to tell her sister. He had to be hopeful and be strong for her and their mom, who probably needed it the most. If he was feeling this bad just hearing what was happening, he couldn’t imagine what it was like for her.

“Go to sleep, it’s okay.” Roger reassured his sister and went back to his room when she got settled in bed. In the hallway, he took a peek down the hallway and into the dining room, where his mom was sitting, crying. Roger put on his brave face and started walking towards her. She liked to be alone after an argument, but Roger still had a strong feeling that this time was different for everyone. He needed to talk to her and reassure her that everything will be okay.

“Hey mum.” Roger started, but everything he quickly rehearsed left his brain in a matter of seconds. He was at a loss for words. What could he possibly say to her? She quickly looked up as he continued to make his way towards her.

“Go to your room, Rog, it’s late.” She sniffled, trying to compose herself quickly. Roger kept walking towards her until he was hugging her tightly.  
They stayed quiet, just taking in each other’s company. Seeing his mom like this just made everything worse for Roger, but he knew he couldn’t show it. He had to stay strong.   
So, that’s what he did. He held her for what felt like hours, as they sat together in silence. He wasn’t going to let this happen again, but he didn’t know how. He would just have to keep being strong and look out for his family. The only thing Roger really knew is that he couldn’t – and wouldn’t – let anyone hurt them or anyone he cared about again.


End file.
